


Never Seek to Tell Thy Love

by GQD



Category: X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) - Fandom, X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Art, Charles Xavier has a Ph.D in Adorable, Cheating, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Erik has Feelings, Illustrations, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-15
Updated: 2014-09-15
Packaged: 2018-02-17 13:25:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2311214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GQD/pseuds/GQD
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for Ikeracity's prompt:<br/>I want a fic where charles or erik gets cheated on and the other one has to comfort him</p>
            </blockquote>





	Never Seek to Tell Thy Love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ikeracity](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ikeracity/gifts).



> This is not my first written work but it's the first that I decided to throw out in public *weeps*.  
> Thank you **Kage** and **Shib** for the amazing beta-ing! My baby writing would have looked terrible without your help. <3  
> Any mistake remains is my own.
> 
> Title from William Blake's poem "Love's Secret".

It was a sunny Sunday when Erik told him he had started dating someone, a very nice Jewish woman named Magda, someone Erik’s mother would approve of and adore to bits.

Charles had tried to smile then, tried to hide his fisted hands from view, for they shook vehemently. He should have been glad for his best friend finally meeting someone, but he couldn’t, he was in love with Erik far too long.

 

\---

 

A year later, Erik and Magda became engaged. Charles had excused himself from the celebrations with their friends, lying that he was ill and needed rest. What he needed most then, was a shoulder to lean on and just breathe. For he thought he could never be with Erik.

 

\---

 

“What do you want at your bachelor party?” Charles asked, as casually as he could manage. Erik shook his head with a tight smile, hands busy unwrapping his lunch, no doubt prepared by his loving fiancée.

“I thought it’s supposed to be a surprise?” Erik said before taking a bite from his sandwich, humming approvingly.

They always had lunch together at the same time, on the same bench in the park near their workplaces. With Erik’s office being close to Charles’ university, it wasn’t much of a hassle. No matter how busy they were, they never skipped their lunch dates. _Dates_ , At least that was how Charles would like to think.

“I’m offering you a chance to spend your last day as a single man however you like,” Charles nudged at Erik’s shoulder and grinned. “Unless you are really on with their crazy plans.”

Erik chuckled and turned his face toward Charles. “What about you? Do you have a plan for me too?” Before Charles could either answer or protest, Erik reached out and stole a cherry tomato from his lunch box then added, “the wedding is not until a couple of weeks, surely you would have quite some time to think of something amazing… or crazy.”

 _Two more weeks until Erik fully belongs to someone else_. It was all Charles could do to not avoid Erik’s gaze, amusement sparkling in those steel-grey eyes, _unbearable_.

“Well, fine. If you insist.”

“I do,” Erik replied, popping another stolen cherry tomato into his mouth, smiling. He had no idea how many times Charles had been dreaming about being the one Erik would say those words to on their wedding day. _As if_. But it wouldn’t hurt to dream a little, right?

He smacked Erik’s hand away from his third thievery attempt. The rest of their lunch went on filled with laughter and jokes. As usual, Charles kept up with his playful act well enough; he thought he could have been quite an actor were he not a genetics professor. It wasn’t that he wanted a career change. Charles liked his job; it was one of the things that kept him from dwelling too much on his one-sided love. These days he was either busy grading, lecturing or in the lab. Anything to stop his mind from reminding himself what a pathetic lovesick fool he was.

 

\---

 

A few days later found Charles sitting by himself in the park. Erik must have been really busy now that the wedding was getting close. Charles let out a long and heavy sigh then finished the last bites of his lunch. Erik would text or call him later and explain where he was, no big deal; Charles would have a little payback at Erik’s bachelor party this weekend for standing him up.

Erik didn’t call him that day, or the next day, he never even showed up at his own party, and no one had been able to contact him. Their friends all voted for Charles to check on him; since he was Erik’s Best Man, how convenient was that?

But as he knocked on Erik and soon-to-be Magda’s apartment, no one answered. He stepped closer and planted his ear flat on the door and heard—nothing.

Charles’ heart dropped and suddenly his brains ran for the worst scenarios, _where are you Erik?_

Just when Charles finally decided to call the police and file a missing report, his phone vibrated, as he heard the familiar ringtone, Charles answered without looking at the name of the caller. “Erik?”

“Charles...yeah, it’s me.”

There was something in Erik’s voice that made Charles’ brows furrow, he sounded listless, there were voices talking and soft music playing the background, was he at a pub somewhere?

“Where are you? I’m in front your apartment right now,” Charles asked impatiently, he couldn’t help the demanding tone in his voice; Erik deserved it, making him worry this much in. Nevertheless, Charles was relieved to hear his voice again, even though he didn’t seem fine. “Erik...are you alright?”

Charles heard a deep sigh before Erik replied, “yeah I’m—no, not really. Listen, can you come here right now? I’m at, eh, our favorite bar,” _The Genoshan Pride_ , the name came up easily for Charles, how tired Erik was that he couldn’t even remember the bar’s name? Erik sighed again before adding, “I had a few drinks and… I want to see you, please come; I’m sick of being here by myself.”

“Okay, I’m coming now. Don’t pass out before I get there!” Charles hung up and rushed down the stairs into the streets to catch a cab.

Once at the bar, Charles didn’t slow down until he spotted Erik sitting in a dimmed corner, his back was turned to Charles while he nursed his drink. Erik was hunched forward on his forearms on the table, a glass of amber liquid in one of his hands.

Gingerly making his way to Erik, Charles took in more from his state; dressed simply in black polo shirt, a pair of rumpled cream trousers, and no coat in sight, despite the change in weather lately which made it chilly.

Charles slid into the booth opposite Erik’s, didn’t bother taking off his scarf and gloves. He waited for Erik to start, although he didn’t have the patience he needed right now—all these years waiting and making himself miserable—but he would wait.

“Sorry,” Erik began, not quite looking at Charles as he swirled the alcohol in his glass, “for calling you out here so suddenly, I just needed someone to talk to.”

“Sure, no problem. I was only, in fact, at _your_ bachelor party before I went to your place. And then you called me, now I’m here.” Charles shrugged, leaning on the table as well.

“Oh, was it today?” Erik huffed out a weary laugh. “Great, I even forgot my own party.”

“Erik, what happened?” Charles asked, his frown deepened. He had never seen Erik looking so lifeless.

It was a moment before Erik said at last. “Magda and I, we broke off our engagement.”

“Wait—what?!” Charles asked, stunned.

But Erik just shrugged, saying nothing more. He seemed more interested in his drink then.

“Why? Erik your wedding was literally a week away!” He snatched Erik’s glass away from him, forcing Erik to look at him. “Tell me, please.”

Erik took in a deep breath, eyes glued to Charles’ and there, he saw the clear exhaustion in them. Charles wished he could reach out and place his hands on Erik’s cheeks, warming and smoothing out the frown on his best friend’s face.

“I found out, _accidentally_ , that she was cheating on me.”

Charles couldn’t find any word to say, he could only stare at Erik with wide eyes. They both stayed silent for a moment until he prompted for more, “...when did you find out?”

“Right on the day you and I had our last lunch together,” Erik wiped his tired face with his palms, speaking through the cracks between his fingers. “I went home earlier that day and intended to surprise her. And I,” Charles could feel him grit his teeth together from the strain of his jaw, then Erik continued. “I saw her _kissing_ another man, in front of _our fucking_ door.”

Each words hissed out punctuated the betrayal in Erik’s voice.

Charles wondered: Was it bad that he didn’t feel sorry for Erik at all right now? _Now you know how I felt,_ this somewhat unrequited love.

Even so, he couldn’t help but comfort Erik. He plucked Erik’s weathered hands off his face and held them tightly, speaking in a gentle tone, but nothing short of pity. “I’m so sorry, I don’t know what to say. But I’m here, Erik. I’m here for as long as you need me,” he said, eyes searching for Erik’s.

Erik squeezed his hands in return, he nodded and then called for the bartender’s attention. With this sudden incident dropping on Erik, Charles prepared his liver for an evening of voracious drinking. Well, it was already prepared earlier but now the now-canceled bachelor party was now just the two of them. Although there was nothing to celebrate any longer.

Five drinks in and Erik was starting to babble, often slurring his words. “—been staying with Mama this whole time, she was furious y’know, when I explained to her,” Erik mumbled something after that but Charles couldn’t make out. He’d only ordered a beer and it was still largely untouched much too busy watching over a very drunk Erik.

 

 

“To be honest, I didn’t see that coming. I mean, I didn’t get the impression that she was that kind of person,” Charles said. It was true, while he hated to admit it; Magda was a nice woman, if not perfect, she wasn’t the most beautiful lady Erik had been with, but beauty was in the eye of the beholder.

Erik laughed, putting his empty glass down. “No one saw it coming, not even Ma, and of course: me, Biggest fool of us all.”

“Erik, I think you’ve had enough,” Charles said.

“Yeah, I have enough,” he slurred and waved a hand about nonchalantly, “of—of trying to convince myself that what I felt for her was love.”

“What?” Charles tilted his head to the side, eyebrows knitted together. “What do you mean by that?”

“I liked her, very much, enough to date her,” Erik slumped forward onto his elbows again, hands holding his face up like a child pondering over his thoughts. “I thought I loved her, and Ma did too. But when I saw her with another man, I didn’t feel jealous or angry, I felt...disappointed. I thought I should have reacted differently if it was love,” he shrugged. “I guess I was blindly headed in the wrong direction all this time.”

Charles felt his stomach go cold at Erik’s confession. What was he supposed to say? Agreeing with Erik definitely wouldn’t help his mood.

“She was a nice woman though, a very, very nice woman.” Erik grinned all teeth at him, his laughter a pitch too high. No doubt Erik might make a scene if they didn’t leave soon.

“Erik, you’re drunk and I think we’ve overstayed our welcome,” Charles said, puzzling how best to get  Erik home. But when Erik’s hand rested on the side of his face, cupping his cheek, Charles stilled immediately. His face felt flushed where Erik’s palm covered.

“She was nice. But you are much nicer. God, Charles, you’re so pretty,” Erik’s fingers trailed from Charles’ cheek to his chin, holding it between his thumb and forefinger. Then he started stroking at Charles’ lower lip gently with that thumb, almost intimately. “You’re gorgeous, has anyone ever told you that?”

“...Erik.”

“And your lips,” Erik’s gaze flicked down to his slightly ajar mouth. Charles couldn’t help licking his lips impulsively, and didn’t miss the way Erik sighed reverently at that, leaning in closer and mumbling drunkenly, “always wanted to taste them.”

He knew then what Erik was going to do, but couldn’t pull away. Wouldn’t pull away. His empty glass toppled over when Erik sealed their lips together, both of his hands cupping Charles’ face.

Erik was kissing him, wiping his tongue between Charles’ lips repeatedly. And soon, Charles started pushing back, giving in, despite his mind shouting at him to stop, he whimpered softly. Erik kissed him like a man desperate to experience his very first kiss, and as soon as Charles opened his lips, inviting Erik’s tongue to explore, he took the chance and twisted their tongues together, smearing the faint taste but not at all unpleasant into Charles’ mouth, making every second count as he finally had it, afraid that Charles would suddenly pull back. Charles wanted to reassure him, that Erik needn’t feel afraid. They both wanted the same thing.

They parted to breathe, Erik murmured between several quick wet pecks, “I would have wanted to take you home, introduce you to Mama instead of Magda. But Mama was so happy—saying she’d love to have grandchildren.”

“Erik,” Charles uttered, it seemed like everything he meant to say was reduced to Erik’s name. Only _his_ name.

“Hush darling.” Oh Erik was calling _him_ darling. “May I take you home? Let me take you home. Charles. Please?”

Just as soon as he finished the request, Erik pulled back from Charles and flopped back to his seat. His face planted wearily on the table. God, he was so drunk. Was Erik passed out? Charles was unable to move for a while, his brain trying to process _what just happened? Did Erik just confess to him?_ And _Oh God, Erik_ kissed _him._

Charles closed his eyes for a few second before opening them and staring at the top of Erik’s head, which was lolling from side to side between the nest of his arms. His exhaled raggedly. Questions swirled around in Charles’ head that he had no idea where one started and another began. They needed to talk, to clear things up.

But that was for later, for after he got Erik home and Erik was sober enough to remember.

 

\---

 

Erik groaned, flinging an arm over his eyes, annoyed at the sun. The lights were too bright even with his eyes closed and his arm over his face. And on top of that, the throbbing pain from the hangover was not helping; his head hurt, _terribly ._

Rolling his face into the pillow, Erik reached out blindly for his nightstand—huh? Not there...

It took him a little time to adjust to the brightness which was coming from the window in front of him.

_Wait a second._

His bedroom didn’t have a window there—

Erik blinked his eyes blearily and took in his surroundings. It looked familiar though, and the bedsheets felt nice underneath him. His gaze finally landed on the huge bookshelves in the corner, and Erik breathed out slowly, relieved that he hadn’t been kidnapped. This was Charles’ bedroom, in his enormous apartment. Charles must have taken them both back here last night…

_Shit._

While being smashed with a tedious hangover, there were things that Erik, surprisingly, still remembered: He told Charles that he was pretty. He wanted to kiss Charles. _He had_ kissed _Charles ._

Erik muffled his frustration into the pillow, the memories from last night rushing back so quickly that his head started to ache again. He remembered the kiss, but nothing of what happened afterwards. Erik rolled over and looked down at himself (he was shirtless), feeling a little panicked, he pulled the comforter up—thank God, his pants and belt were still on. He looked to the other side of the bed, and he came face to face with a sleeping Charles.

He didn’t want to wake Charles with an awkward greeting. Charles looked so peaceful and so young like this, _God, you’re gorgeous._

Erik swallowed and carefully slid out of the comfortable bed, he located his discarded shirt on the floor and snatched it up to put on. But as his hand touched the door knob, Erik’s feet wouldn’t move anymore. He started debating in his head: would he be a jerk and just leave, pretend that nothing happened, without offering any explanation to Charles again? Or should he stay and clear the air?

He looked over his shoulder. Back in bed, Charles had rolled over to his other side, his hands neatly tucked under his head; he wasn’t showing any sign of waking up soon.

The truth was that everything Erik had said to Charles in his drunken state was pretty much things he had been asking himself. Even when he had been engaged to Magda, he had tried to brush away his feelings for Charles. At least Erik could admit that he was attracted to Charles, yes, Charles was handsome, and his childhood best friend, and they got along like a house on fire. No one could separate them if they tried. Erik had always thought the attraction was no more than that of one between best friends, or brothers, thus, he tried to push any of _those_ thoughts to the back of his mind, concealed them all. And when he met Magda, Erik thought he was finally able to let go of the past. And yet, those feelings never really went away.

Erik darted his gaze back at Charles’ sleeping form, and slowly his shoulders relaxed. He let out a slow sigh, coming to his decision at last. He moved to Charles’ side then crouched in front of him, arms wrapped around his own knees as Erik leaned all of his weights on his bare feet. Still shirtless, he watched Charles breathe softly, the rise and fall of his shoulder. Erik couldn’t help the smile forming on his face, while he patiently waited for Charles to wake up.

Still smiling, Erik imagined what would it be like if it were Charles that he woke up to every morning with. Would Charles kiss him to wake him up from a blissful sleep? Or he to Charles? Erik would tell Charles how beautiful he was every morning for the rest of his life.

“You’re so beautiful.” Erik said affectionately as he watched Charles’ adorable sleeping face.

As if on cue, Charles opened his eyes so suddenly that Erik almost fell backwards unceremoniously. They seemed to hold their breath at the same time, pausing and waiting, until Charles broke it, his voice raspy from sleep still.

“Erm… good morning.”

“Morning,” Erik returned, inclining his head.

Charles breathed out slowly, licking his lips before asking. “You look well. How are you feeling?”

“Better.” Erik nodded, resting his head on the fold of his arms. His gaze didn’t leave Charles’, determined not to look away while they finally had their talk.

“Charles?”

“Yes?” Charles stared up at him with those beautiful blue eyes, his brows slightly raised.

“I,” Erik steeled himself and said, “—remember last night, what I said, what I did.”

Charles was focused on him; his face looked worried, but at the same time, expectant.

“And,” Erik continued, putting them both out of their misery. “I don’t regret a thing.”

“Erik…”

His hand reached out to tuck Charles’ fallen lock of hair behind his ear, barely touched his skin. The tiny shiver from Charles made Erik’s smile widen. He should be devastated: he just got cheated on, broke off his engagement a week right before the wedding, he _should_ be. But instead, Erik found contentment watching Charles like this, offering a beautiful watery smile back at Erik.

He gently swept his thumb at the corner of Charles’ eye, wiping away a droplet of tear before it fell and stained his flushed cheek.

Charles turned his head and leaned into Erik’s touch, kissing his fingers like they were his treasure. “It’s still too early for breakfast, come back to bed?” He suggested with a shy smile.

Erik couldn’t find any reason to say no. Grinning, he ducked under the covers with Charles wrapped inside his arms comfortably; they _did_ want the same thing.

 

\---

** EPILOGUE  **

 

“Erik, we’re gonna be late!” Charles shouted, quickly wrapping his scarf and tucking it neatly around his neck, then took Erik’s scarf off the hook as he waited.

“Coming,” Erik called out, appearing a moment later buttoning up a cozy dark coat around himself. “I thought I hung this in the closet, but it turned out that it was at the bottom of it.”

Charles stepped closer and helped Erik don on his scarf—it went perfectly with his coat, then again, everything looked perfect on him—and smoothed it before tiptoeing to peck Erik on the lips, grinning when he pulled back.

“You look perfect, darling.”

“And so do you,” Erik was grinning too. he pulled Charles against himself with a possessive arm around his waist. “Must we have our own parties? Can’t we just have one together?”

“It won’t be a bachelor party if your fiancé is there with you, isn’t it? Have fun, not too much fun though.”

“I won’t. And if Emma does call a stripper, I’m going to look away, alright?” Erik nuzzled at Charles’ nose in an Eskimo kiss, which never failed to make Charles giggle happily. Eventually, they untangled themselves and got going, although it was a near thing making their friends wait; but that wouldn’t be a wise thing to do with Emma in the fold.

They held hands until they had to part and go to their respective bachelor parties. Charles couldn’t stop touching the simple gold band on his ring finger under his glove in the back of the cab. He was still smiling when he got to his destination. He couldn’t have too much drink that night, he had a wedding to attend tomorrow after all. _His own wedding._


End file.
